A Date with Edward Cullen
by ashleigh-rose
Summary: Bella Swan has just won a date with the irresistable Edward Cullen. When they meet, she thinks he's a jerk. He thinks he's in love. Now, he just has to convince her that she's in love with him as well. But no one ever said love comes easily. E/B.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Alright, well, let me start by saying New Moon was incredible! Anyone agree? Anyways, on to the posting of yet another new story. I don't know how well this one will sit since my other two seemed to flop horribly. I got this idea from actually out of nowhere. It just passed my mind one day while I was doing some chores and I decided to give it a test drive. Hence, the posting of the new story. Also, it starts off pretty quickly but don't worry; the next chapter will bring everyone up to speed on Bella and our favorite characters. Tell me what ya think!

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I own nothing. If I did, I would not be here...or would I?

**Chapter 1- A...Date?**

"Bella…"

I turned, desperately trying to escape the annoying sound that was my best friend. I loved her dearly but even I had breaking points. I looked up and concluded that my breaking point was exactly at seven in the morning. As my brain came to, I closed my eyes and tried to think of any reason for her to be in my apartment at such a ridiculous hour. When nothing came to mind, I pushed the pillow away and sat up to find her right in front of me.

"Alice, can I ask what you're doing here?" I gave a pointed look at my alarm, "Especially at seven in the morning."

Alice beamed, ignoring my question all together. "I have big news!"

"You always have _big _news," I reminded her, wanting this conversation to end as quickly as it had started so I could get back to sleep and enjoy my day off.

"Yeah, but this time it's _really _big!" She jumped up off my bed and ran to my radio before she switched it on and the DJ's loud, obnoxious voice could be heard throughout my room. I glared at her momentarily, despite my curiosity that had been peaked. She always seemed to be able to do that, no matter how irritated I was.

"Listen…"

I rolled my eyes but tuned in just in time to hear the announcer yell excitedly about winning a date with some celebrity. It wasn't an unusual occurrence. After a moment, I sighed and leaned back against my headboard, my mind going elsewhere.

"Bella!"

And it was back to my raven-haired friend. "Alice, it's a stupid radio contest…"

"And the winner is…Bella Swan!"

My voice seemed to die as I heard the DJ call my name on national radio. How was that even possible? I hadn't entered; I never do. I stared at the radio for a moment before my attention moved to the girl sitting right beside the electronic. My eyes hardened and I opened my mouth to begin lecturing her on why it wasn't morally right to enter people into things without their permission, but the DJ had cut me off again.

"Come on down to the station Bella! You've just won a date with Edward Cullen!"

My eyes widened and Alice began to move towards my door. Before I chased after her, I remembered a conversation we'd had a couple days before. It had been at the mall, right before Alice had seen the sign for the 'radio contest' entry. It was also right before she had apparently entered me into the contest without my knowing.

"_Alice, how could you possibly know that?"_

_I noticed her attention was already focused on something else when she didn't answer. I looked to what she was focused on and saw a sign that read 'Win a Date with a Celebrity!' I rolled my eyes and grabbed her arm, ready to drag her away before she decided that she wanted to join the rest of the giggling girls waiting in line to put their names in the bucket._

"_I want to enter!"_

"_You don't even know what celebrity," I argued, pulling her arm. For as small as she was, I was surprised by her strength._

"_It doesn't matter. A celebrity is a celebrity, Bells," she quipped. _

_I sighed. "You see celebrities every day." _

"_Sure but as a personal shopper. I don't go on dates with them." Although she had a legitimate point, I still didn't want to stand around for hours waiting to put her name into a bucket when the chances of winning were slim to none._

"_Alice, come on," I urged, tugging her shirt. She didn't budge._

"_Wait here," she ordered and before I could argue, she took off, moving in between people as gracefully as a ballet dancer does on stage. I lost her after a moment and gave up, taking a seat on the nearest bench. Why did I let her talk me into going shopping? God knows I hate it more than anything._

"_Okay, let's go!"_

_Her chipper voice knocked me from my thoughts and I sat up, looking over at her. I raised a suspicious brow and waited for her to say something. When she just rocked back on her heels, I sighed and got up, more than ready to leave the crowded shopping center._

"_How did you get there and out so fast? There were tons of girls in line."_

"_I have my ways," she said mysteriously with a wink. I gave a quick chuckle but other than that, I didn't really want to know what Alice's 'ways' were._

"_You think you'll win?"_

"_Who knows? My luck is pretty good." The mischievous smirk on her lips set me off a bit but I didn't say anything about it, knowing she was probably just excited about seeing if she would win the stupid radio contest._

"_When are they going to announce the winner?" I asked as we packed everything into Alice's bright yellow Porsche, a gracious gift from her boss._

"_Tomorrow morning around seven," she answered._

"_Who was the celebrity?"_

"_It's a secret," she said as she pretended to zip her lips. I rolled my eyes and got into the car, bidding good riddance to the mall before we took off, zooming in between cars with uncertainty._

"I can't believe you entered me into that stupid contest!"

Alice laughed as she backed out of my room, making sure to keep a reasonable distance from me, which at the moment wasn't such a bad idea. Not only did she wake me at seven on my day off, she had entered me into a contest that I wanted nothing to do with. It was just like Alice to take things into her own hands.

"You need to get out and this was the perfect way!"

"I get out enough," I argued, moving towards her, pillow in hand.

"Work and the store don't count, Bells. When is the last time you went out on a date?"

"Since…"

Now that I thought about it, I hadn't gone out on a date since my last boyfriend back in Forks. Ever since I had moved out to Los Angeles, I hadn't had much time for anything besides school and work, which were both becoming a bit overwhelming. She was right but I was still annoyed.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to go on a date with this…Cullen person," I voiced. Her eyes widened when she realized that I had no idea who the guy was.

"You don't know who Edward Cullen is?"

"I don't follow the media religiously so no," I answered with confusion. I had heard his name before but other than that, no other references came to mind.

"He was a teen star and he's now one of the richest young adults ever."

"How old is he?"

"Twenty-one," she said quickly. I raised a brow, vaguely wondering if she was in right health and dropped the pillow on the floor, slowly forgetting about my anger. She had had good intentions when she'd signed me up, even if I hadn't wanted it.

"Fine," I gave in, moving back towards my room. "When's this 'date'?"

"Tomorrow night!"

"Great," I mumbled as I shut my bedroom door. I heard Alice move around in my living room before she knocked on my bedroom door.

"I'll be over tomorrow to help you get ready," she called and I waited until her footsteps had ceased before I decided to retrieve my pillow from my hallway. Well, my day off certainly hadn't gone as planned. With a frustrated sigh, I grabbed my pillow and headed back into my room for some much needed thought and rest.

Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.

**-**

**A/N: **What did you guys think? Hit or miss? I actually really liked the idea of the story. Tell me if you've read this idea elsewhere, which I'm sure you have but hey, everyone gets a chance to experiment, even with the same ideas sometimes. Remember, if it's truly original, no story, no matter what the idea, will be the same. Please review and let me know your thoughts on the new story!

With love :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Well, obviously you liked it or else I wouldn't be posting a second chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed and enjoyed it. This story probably has to be the one that I've had the most fun writing so far. I always enjoy writing my stories but sometimes they start turning more into obligations rather than fun. So, once again, thanks! Now, on with the show, er...story!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this but this story is AU if no one knew. Everyone is human. Okay, now on with the story!

**Chapter 2- First Sight**

**EPOV:**

"Why do they make me do these things again?"

I turned in my chair to look at my older brother, Emmett. He shrugged and I sighed, knowing he didn't really care about why my publicist made me do such stupid things to keep myself in the spotlight. Personally, I enjoyed the acting and the attention was sometimes enticing but other than that, I didn't agree with the crazy woman who instructed everything I did. I didn't want my personal life plastered all over newspapers and magazines, no matter how much publicity it got me.

"Dude, we should go to that new club opening downtown tomorrow," Emmett commented as he leaned into his chair.

"We can," I replied, before a thought crossed my mind. "That is, if Stacy doesn't try to fit me into more pointless interviews."

Emmett laughed. "You wanted this life, bro."

"Yeah, I did," I sighed. When the door to my dressing room opened, my eyes flitted over to see Rosalie, my sister in law, standing by the door, eyes already narrowed in my direction. I felt a lecture coming on. See, Rose was my sister in law but she was also a co-star. We'd done tons of projects together. We had just finished with another movie several months back before we'd gone off to do our separate things.

"A few months without me and you're reduced to going on dates with fans," she chimed as she walked over to her husband.

I raised a brow. "I don't see anyone knocking your door down with offers." At that, she huffed and turned to face Emmett. I smiled smugly and waited for the happy couple to realize that I was still in the room. They had a tendency to show a bit _too _much public affection. Of course, the magazines ate it right up. Anyone who said Rose wasn't made for the spotlight was so completely insane.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" Rose asked. I looked up at her and shrugged. "You know, she'll probably be a psycho who has no fashion taste and chants your name as a mantra." I narrowed my eyes and she smiled, obviously proud that she'd successfully gotten me back for my earlier jab.

"She could be nice…" I grumbled, my eyes wandering to the television that was playing a news segment on some new movie.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Rose said, her eyes dancing with mirth. "Do you see the girls that enter themselves into these things?"

"No."

"Well, if you did, you'd know that no girl is going to be normal about it. Sure, she'll be nice but only because you're her favorite star, not her favorite person," Rose lectured. I rolled my eyes but she felt the need to continue. "There's no way you're going to get some normal girl. Hell, it would be a miracle if you ended up with someone who _didn't _know you." She snorted. "Yeah, that would be something, huh?"

**BPOV:**

"Alice, this is stupid," I called from the closet. It was the day of my 'date' and Alice had been pestering me with clothes and shoes that I didn't want to wear. "I know you're a professional stylist but this is ridiculous."

"Bells, work clothes won't cut it when you're out there. I bet they'll have cameras filming everything," she replied as she walked back into my closet. My eyes widened with fear as a new realization set in. If they filmed it, tons of people would see me on national television. I didn't like attention and I certainly didn't go around looking for it.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face and I came to. I looked up at her with confusion. "You look terrified."

"I don't want to do this!"

"You can't back out! It's Edward Cullen."

"I wouldn't care if it was Johnny Depp." I heard Alice gasp. I turned to her. "Alice, I can't be under that much pressure. That's too much attention."

"You'll be fine."

"You say that…"

"I know you'll be fine," she laughed before holding up a dress to my body. With a nod, she walked out of the closet, leaving me to myself again. When she walked back into the heap of clothes that had become my usually clean closet, she was carrying a few magazines. "You need to read these. Get to know Mr. Cullen."

I looked down at the teen magazines and frowned. I didn't want to get to know anyone; especially if it was some celebrity that probably only cared about his looks in the public eye. But, knowing that Alice would force me to sit and read them, I decided to take them on my own will and spare myself the dignity loss that usually came when Alice felt like being bossy.

"I'll pick something out for you," she told me as I walked out of the closet. I sat down on my bed and randomly picked a magazine. Flipping through the pages, I was reminded of my teenage years when loving the newest celebrity was the thing to do. However, I hadn't been with that crowd. Alice had always wanted to _dress _the celebrities while I had wanted nothing to do with them. They all seemed like attention-seeking people. This man, Edward Cullen, seemed to be no different.

I read over the articles that were printed about him. Over the hour, I had learned that he had a dog, liked to eat Tofu and apparently had a beautiful girlfriend named Tanya. Although the articles had mentioned her, I hadn't seen a picture of her, nor did I care to.

I knew I should've stayed in Forks.

"Why did I come to Los Angeles again?"

Alice laughed from the closet, "Because it's made of bigger and better things, Bella. Small town life just didn't fit us."

"It didn't fit you," I mumbled. "I didn't mind it so much."

Alice walked out of the closet, a dress and a pair of shoes in hand. I gulped when I saw the height of the heels. "Alice, I know you're used to shopping for people who can actually walk in those, but I can hardly stand in them."

"You'll get used to them," she replied without a care in the world. Well, no one ever said reasoning with Alice was easy. I watched as she ran around my room, gathering hair and makeup products. I had to say the whole thing was making me quite nervous. I had a brief memory of prom night, when Alice had done the very same thing.

Thinking back to my high school years, I had to admit that I'd enjoyed them. I had had great friends and Alice, my best friend to help me get through it. Then there was Jacob Black. We had been good friends before high school but once he had gone through a growth spurt and no longer resembled a young boy, we had decided to give dating a try. Much to my surprise, it had gone well. Until the day I had caught him with…whatever her name was.

Yeah, some memories from high school weren't so great.

"You're thinking about him aren't you?"

I looked up, broken from my reverie by Alice, as usual. She was smiling her concerned smile and I just shrugged, wanting to change the subject.

"I was just remembering high school." It was the truth.

"He always smelled like a wet dog to me," she commented before she shoved a dress into my arms. Leave it to Alice to say something like that. I laughed and stared at the deep red dress she had unsubtly shoved into my arms. It was beautiful. Leave it to Alice to also pick a great dress even when I hadn't wanted any of it.

"Now, for the shoes…"

I gulped.

**EPOV:**

"You look nervous, Eddie," Rosalie teased as she and I walked through the set where the 'date' was supposed to take place. It was a real restaurant but it had been closed off to other guests for the night, so my date and I could have privacy. With cameras watching our every move, it wasn't going to be likely.

"It's your fault," I blamed her.

She laughed and looked around. "It's nice, very romantic. Maybe you'll get lucky tonight." She waggled her brows and I resisted the urge to push her.

"Edward, everything is in place," my publicist said as she walked up to us. Her eyes never roamed to Rosalie. It seemed like everyone in the business was a bit intimidated by her…beauty. I held back a laugh as the thought flew through my mind.

"Alright, Stace," I replied with a wave. She smiled and went back to ordering everyone around. If she wasn't so kind to those she knew, I'd say she was almost as bad as Rose. When I looked over to the woman in question, I found her talking quietly into the phone. At least she wasn't screaming; that was a relief.

When she hung up, I raised both brows in question. "Who was that?"

"A friend," she said a little too quickly. I figured it was one of her girlfriends or stylists. Despite Rosalie loving the spotlight, she didn't enjoy having her private life splayed all over the news and magazines. She played a hard front but she was really a softie underneath. Unfortunately, most people just got the hard front.

The lights dimmed suddenly and Rose laughed. "Oh, now _that's _romantic, Eddie. The poor girl might die of a heart attack when she sees all of this."

"I hate it when you call me that," I grumbled, ignoring her third jab of the day.

"Well, _Eddie_, get used to it," she ordered. "That's your new nickname."

I opened my mouth to come back with something good when Stacy ran up and grabbed me, practically dragging me away from Rosalie. I looked back to see my blonde and very evil friend laughing at me, waving as she did so.

"I hope you have a good time with her. I can't wait to see it."

I didn't even have time to flip her off as I was pulled into my dressing room.

**BPOV:**

"Alice…"

Alice came up behind me and smiled, obviously proud of her work. I had to admit that she had done some dramatic changes to me. But they weren't bad. Give Alice a hairbrush and some makeup and you'll get magic. She had adorned my eyes with some shimmery eyeshadow that highlighted the hazel in my eyes. She had curled my hair into wide, open curls and had somehow managed to give me bangs.

"You look amazing!"

I smiled and stood up, a bit wobbly since I still hadn't gotten used to the sky high heels. Alice laughed when I nearly tripped over myself but thankfully, my bed had caught me. When I managed to gather myself together, I looked up at her with nervousness.

"You'll do fine, Bells."

"I hate you for doing this."

"I'm sure you'll hate me when you see him too," she teased as she grabbed both our purses and pulled me up from the bed. "Let's get going. You have a date, my friend."

"Unfortunately," I mumbled before she pulled me out of my apartment.

**EPOV:**

"Are you ready?"

I nodded and gave the signal to the man behind the camera. Stacy had picked out a tux for me to wear. I felt nervous, something I hadn't ever felt in front of the cameras. But, I hadn't ever been out with a potential crazed fan either.

"She's here," Stacy announced as she walked over and fiddled with my tie. "Be on your best behavior."

"I'll try," I said, flashing a smile. She rolled her eyes and moved away to make sure everything was in place. I didn't even want to move. I heard a few people talking behind me about how they thought the night would play out. I vaguely heard one of them bet that the girl would be some lunatic who worshipped me. Great, even the crew thought so.

"Alright, get out there," Stacy commanded and I nodded, moving slowly into the camera's view. I gulped when I saw her figure walk past the restaurant window. I knew I should have never let Stacy talk me into –

My mind stopped working as she stepped into the room, looking as nervous as I felt. Her eyes flitted across the restaurant before they met mine. I thought, in those few moments, that she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. She bit her lip and began walking towards me, her steps confident but unsteady.

When Stacy coughed, I was reminded that I was supposed to be on my best gentlemanly behavior. I quickly moved from my chair to greet her on her side of the table.

"Hello," I greeted.

She held my gaze as she answered with a short, "Hi."

"I'm-"

"Edward Cullen, I know," she interrupted. Surprised by the slight hostility in her voice, I tried to think of a reason as to why she could hate me. Well, magazines and newspapers were a sure answer.

"Can I ask your name?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I'm Bella Swan."

"Bella…"

"That's me," she said. I could tell she was nervous. Her eyes kept glancing from the cameras to me and back to the cameras. A sudden urge came over me and I wanted to make her feel as comfortable as I could. Sadly, I knew that Stacy wouldn't allow the cameras to be turned off so Bella would have to be in agony for a bit.

"How about we sit?"

She nodded and I held out the chair for her as she sat down. I nearly ran to my side of the table and threw myself into the chair, more than ready to get to know the woman who had captivated me in less than five minutes.

"Let's make this quick," she whispered so that only I could hear.

Well, at least I could tell Rose that my date was definitely not a crazed fan. As I watched her fiddle and focus her attention on everything but me, I was beginning to think she wasn't a fan at all.

I _would _get the one girl in the whole world that didn't want to be here.

**-**

Well? I don't know why but I really enjoy diving into Edward's mind for this story. I almost like it more than diving into Bella's. This is how the story will mostly go, if enough people like it. Sometimes, the chapter will be one point of view and sometimes, it'll be two. I'm trying to incorporate a lot of friendship into this too, since I know I have a knack for leaving it out. Also, Jasper will be introduced too. The parents won't be until a bit later, unfortunately.

Thanks to all those who reviewed :)

With love ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thanks to those who reviewed! I'm glad you guys enjoy the story. I'm trying to make it as light and amusing as possible. Most of my stories have a lot to do with angst and drama but this one, I'm trying to make it les angsty and more funny! Hopefully, I'm doing a good job. Again, thanks for reviewing and I hope you guys like this chapter as well!

**Happy Thanksgiving! I will not be posting another chapter until next Monday. Too much going on this weekend. So, enjoy Thanksgiving and I'll be back on Monday! :)**

Enjoy!

**Chapter 3- Down the Drain**

**BPOV:**

I didn't want to be here.

I had to admit that when Alice had said that the man in front of me was gorgeous, she wasn't lying but his looks were the last thing I was concerned about. I was more worried about the cameras that seemed to be every which way I looked. Hell, I probably even had one attached to me somewhere. Who knew what these celebrities did to get publicity?

When I heard someone clear their throat, I looked up to see Edward raising his brows in question. He had done that three times so far, obviously trying to keep my attention but I didn't want to be here, so why would I want to talk to him? When I'd read about him in the magazines, he seemed like a total jerk.

"So, Bella…what do you like to do for fun?"

I shrugged. This whole thing was awkward. I didn't want my personal life in the news tomorrow but, taking a look at the cameras, I knew it would most likely be inevitable.

"I go out," I answered quickly, hoping the time would go by faster. I heard Edward sigh and despite knowing I was being unfair, I didn't care. Maybe he shouldn't have signed up for the 'date' thing.

"Can I ask you something?"

The corners of my lips lifted upwards. "You haven't stopped asking me questions since I sat down."

"Its part of the act," he whispered so only I could hear.

I wanted to roll my eyes. "What do you want to ask?"

"Do you hate me or something?"

I widened my eyes momentarily, wondering if he had caught my apparently not so subtle hints at hostility towards him. I hadn't meant to be rude but the fact that I didn't want to be here, and the fact that I was convinced he was an arrogant jerk, didn't help much.

"Why do you do these?"

"Dating?"

"This isn't dating," I reprimanded. "This is going out on a date for publicity."

"Then why'd you sign up?"

I glanced at the camera and lowered my eyes. "_I_ didn't."

"So, you didn't sign up but you're here…that makes perfect sense," he said sarcastically. I bit my lip nervously before I continued.

"My friend signed me up without my knowing."

"So…you don't want to be here?"

I was surprised when I heard the disappointment in his voice. Why would he care if I didn't want to be here? I glanced at him. He was staring at me, making me feel even more nervous. I could easily see how many teen girls and young women could fall for him. He was extremely handsome and his green eyes were astounding. I tried to pull myself away before I got sucked into them.

"How long is this supposed to last?"

"You can leave if you want," he sighed, turning in his chair to flash some signal to the woman behind the camera. She shot me a confused look before I realized what he had done. He was trying to get her to turn off the cameras so that I could go. Maybe I had been wrong about him.

"You know, a lot of girls would kill to have come here," he bit out, eyes hard and lips tight. He was _not _happy about how the night had gone apparently.

"Well, I'm not one of them," I retorted, my eyes flashing to the woman once more. I could tell that the cameras hadn't been shut off. I quickly took back what I had thought. He was a conceited jerk.

"Why not?"

The question caught me off guard. I lifted a brow. "Just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean I should bow down and kiss the ground you walk on."

"I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly.

I finally gave in and rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter how _you _meant it. I still took it that way." With that, I shoved my chair back and walked out of the camera's view. As I reached for the door, a hand blocked my way and I looked up to see Edward standing over me, concern and anger written on his face.

"Are you trying to embarrass me?"

"I'm not _trying _anything," I answered, "I'm just leaving. It was a mistake coming here. Alice was so wrong about you!"

"Alice?" He repeated. I nodded. "Alice Whitlock, right?"

Okay, now I was confused. "How did you know?"

"She's a friend of my brother's wife," he said, his brows furrowing.

"So?" I implored. "Alice is friends with a lot of people."

"No, she's a celebrity," he corrected me and I scoffed.

"As if you're any different than other people," I huffed and opened the door to leave. When I got about two seconds outside, I heard the door reopen and close. I was trying to walk fast but it was proving difficult with the heels that were strapped to my feet.

"Hey!"

I whirled, ready to give Edward another piece of my mind when I stepped into a crack on the sidewalk and suddenly found myself flying towards the ground. Anger forgotten, I braced myself for the fall but when it never came, I opened my eyes to see Edward standing over me once again. If I didn't dislike him, I would say he reminded me of an angel, with the lights highlighting his face and bright eyes.

"Are you alright?"

When I remembered where I was, I felt my face begin to redden and I struggled to pull myself up and away from him. When I managed to get away from him, I turned and faced him.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

**EPOV:**

That was all I got? I'm fine? No thank you or even a smile? What was wrong with this woman? I watched as she dusted imaginary dirt from her dress. I smiled slightly when she wobbled a bit. Who knew such a clumsy and stubborn woman would catch my attention so easily? I sighed and made a move towards her.

She held up a hand. "I'm sorry to leave but I have to go."

"Is there any special reason you hate me? Magazines can be misleading," I told her, assuming she'd read some bad article about me.

When her eyes met mine, they weren't hostile. "I just don't like celebrities. They think of themselves as people who should be worshipped."

"We're not all like that."

"But most of you are," she argued, her eyes lowering to stare at the ground before she lifted her head defiantly. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Surprisingly, I didn't disagree with her. A lot of the celebrities and co-stars I'd met had been pretty selfish. It was just the way most of us were. We had money, we had fame and we had people who were willing to kiss the ground we walked on. Some, more than others, just milked that a bit more than those of us who didn't enjoy the public eye.

"You're no different," she declared.

Now I was offended.

"You don't know anything about me."

"It's kind of hard _not _to," she laughed. "But I get it, you're famous. You can't help the lifestyle you have. Why am I even here still?"

"Because you can't resist my charms?" When her hardened eyes turned towards me, I decided it had been the wrong thing to say. I was just desperate to please her. I realized that I didn't want her thinking horribly of me.

It was an odd feeling.

**BPOV:**

"If anyone asks, I'll tell them I had to leave for a family emergency," I told him, feeling guilty that I was leaving him behind to pick up the mess that had been our 'date'. "I wouldn't want to ruin your rep."

He looked as though he was going to say something when suddenly, out of nowhere, five to ten girls came up and began begging for an autograph. Shocked by the increase of people, I backed up and caught his eyes. I gave the group a pointed look before I turned to leave. Alice was so going to get a piece of coal from me this Christmas. Just as I made it across the alley, a hand grabbed my elbow and I was pulled towards the unseen person.

"Can I see you again?"

Surprised that it was Edward stopping me yet again, I tried to push him off. "No."

"Well, why not?"

"You celebrities think you can just have whatever you want? I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm not going to be your next arm candy Mr. Cullen."

"It's not-"

"Edward!" "Cullen!" "Edward Cullen!"

I raised a brow and looked behind him to see even more girls and women waiting behind a line that had apparently been set up in the past twenty seconds. I looked back to Edward and sighed, removing his hands from my wrists. I hadn't even realized he'd had a hold of them.

"You're fans are waiting Mr. Cullen." With that, I turned and left the celebrity to his fans.

This night certainly hadn't gone the way I thought it would. As I walked down the street, still hearing the sounds of screaming fans, I couldn't help but think about the tone in his voice when he asked to see me again. But, then again, maybe it had been an act. After all, he had said it was all part of the act. His publicist probably said he needed some new arm candy and I just happened to be the one that got picked.

I wouldn't let it bother me. I'd gone on the stupid date like Alice said and now it was over and I would never see him again.

I had more important things to worry about.

**-**

I know most of you are thinking Bella is unfair but remember, she doesn't like celebrities and she thinks, from reading the magazines, that he's a jerk. The story does start getting funnier, don't worry. I didn't want to weigh this one down with a ton of angst and such. Jasper and Alice are in the next one! Please review and thank you for reviewing the last chapter! I appreciate it!

**Remember, no new chapters until Monday! Have a great Thanksgiving guys :)**

With love :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry about it being late. I was going to post it yesterday but I had too many things going on and I couldn't make it to my computer. Thank you guys so much for all your reviews! I wasn't sure if this story would be a good hit but apparently I was wrong and I'm so glad you guys enjoy it! It makes a writer want to write more. Anywho, here's chapter four.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 4- Backfire**

**EPOV:**

"What did you do to her?"

Those were the first words I heard when I walked into my apartment. I looked towards my living room to see Rosalie sitting on my couch, flipping through a magazine. She seemed calm so maybe I wasn't in too much trouble.

"What do you mean?"

Rosalie sighed and pressed a button on the remote. I looked to the television as a news segment appeared, showing Bella and myself. I slowly made my way towards the couch as I watched the events from tonight play out on the screen.

"And apparently, according to Cullen's publicist, the woman, Bella Swan had to leave due to a major family emergency."

I groaned and quickly went to shut it off. When I returned to the couch, Rose laughed and patted my shoulder.

"At least she wasn't crazy," she teased.

I rolled my eyes and shoved her lightly. "Why aren't you with your husband?"

"He had to go to a hockey game," she shrugged.

"So, you break into my apartment?"

"It's not breaking in if I have a key," she corrected me, flashing me the metal in her hand. I sighed and looked to the door.

"I never gave you a key."

She smiled mischievously. "I know." After a moment of silence, she continued. "So…what did you do to the poor girl?"

"Like they said, a family emergency," I muttered, pointing to the now blank screen. I knew she didn't believe any of it. She knew me too well.

"You're lying," she called as she got up from the couch, making her way towards the door. "But, I know you'll tell me when you can't hold it in anymore." When she reached the door, she opened it and turned around to face me. "You know where to find me when that happens."

"Under a car?"

She laughed. "I'll be seeing you."

I gave a quick chuckle as she left. Even though she was a pest, she knew how to cheer me up. Ever since Bella had left our 'date', I'd been feeling like I needed to do _something_. I wasn't even sure what. I wanted to see her again but I didn't want to turn into a stalker. The celebrity-turned-stalker; now, _that _was something.

I sighed and lied down on the couch.

"This sucks."

**BPOV:**

I pounded three times on Alice's hard oak door before I pulled out the spare key she'd given me and let myself in. It was silent when I entered and I wondered if she and Jasper were even home. I walked to the kitchen and dropped my purse onto the counter, looking around as I did so. As I began to walk back towards their room, I heard something.

Whirling, I saw Alice holding a bat. I screamed. She screamed. And then Jasper ran out of his bedroom, clad in boxers, a worried look settled on his features.

"What are you doing?" Alice was the first to speak.

"I came to tell you about the date," I replied. I wanted to laugh when I heard Jasper sigh tiredly behind me.

When Alice heard about my 'date', her mood instantly switched. She dropped the bat on the couch and nearly ran towards me. "Tell me everything!"

"Okay, but I'm sure you'll see it on the news tomorrow."

"It was news-worthy?"

I laughed sarcastically. "Considering I left him halfway through, I'd say yes."

"That's so awe- what?"

I shrugged. "You wanted to know how it went. It went horribly." If Alice could ever look perturbed, it was now. She was confused, that much I could tell. I looked behind me to see Jasper leaning against the wall, a hand to his mouth as he tried to hold in his laughter. When I looked back at Alice, she was staring at me as though I was crazy.

"Are you crazy?"

"Alice, he was an ass," I explained before she exploded.

"I've met him before!" She began to pace. "He's not an ass at all. He's actually very nice."

"Well, maybe it was all part of the act," I quipped.

"It isn't like him," she muttered, still pacing.

I remained silent for a moment as I processed her words. She said that she'd met him before. Edward had said he knew her too. My eyes widened as I put every piece together. She had set me up, knowing who the celebrity was going to be.

"Alice, did you know who the celebrity was when you signed me up?"

She stopped pacing and looked at me curiously. "Yes."

"Why did you sign me up in the first place?"

She shrugged. "You needed to get out. Call it a favor." She laughed, looking from me to her husband. I'm sure he was still laughing behind his hand.

"Well, it's over now," I declared, watching as she moved to sit down on one of the bar stools. I briefly wondered if Alice had done all the decorating herself. With a smile, I figured she had since she liked to be the one in control.

"What did he do to you?"

"He was…a jerk," I informed, trying to find the right word for him.

"Did you even give him a chance, Bells?"

When she gave me a pointed look, I threw my arms in the air. "I did, okay! He just didn't take it."

"He didn't take it or you didn't let him?"

"Why are we even discussing this? It's over and done with now," I ranted, wanting Alice to see my side of things. I knew she didn't support me when I told her that I didn't like celebrities, but I'd hoped she'd understand when I told her that the guy was a huge jerk.

"Alright, I'll talk to him."

"No!"

She shot me a quizzical look and I managed to form a few words. "I…just don't want to see him…again."

Alice sighed. "Fine, Bells."

I smiled a thank you before I turned to Jasper and waved. He had stopped laughing but I could still see the mirth in his eyes as he said goodbye. Alice silently walked me to her door before she turned to me and raised a brow. I waited for her to say something but when nothing came, I wondered if she was going to say anything at all.

"I'm still going to talk to him," she finally said, smiling lightly.

I shrugged. "I figured you would."

"Well, I am a stylist," she laughed. "I wouldn't want to be getting a bad rep because my best friend ditched the ultimate superstar."

I rolled my eyes but laughed anyways. "I wouldn't call it ditching him more than doing him a favor."

"Why do you consider it a favor?"

"Look at how much publicity the guy's probably gotten and you tell me."

She laughed, although half-heartedly. I smiled, hugged her and left as quickly as I could, not wanting to be under Alice's radar any longer. It seemed like all she did was form plans in her head. If I let her, she'd put strings on me and direct me. I loved her but Alice was definitely the puppet master, never the puppet. I laughed to myself as I walked into my apartment building, greeting the doorman as I moved across the lobby slowly. I knew the heels I was wearing would give me blisters.

It was a short ride to my floor and I stepped off, more than ready to get my shoes off and go to sleep. As I approached my door, I noticed a few things lying right next to it. Curious, and a bit nervous, I moved towards my door in caution. When I reached the items, I bent down as best I could and realized that they were flowers and chocolate.

Eyebrows raised, I picked up the box and shook it.

"Some man dropped those off earlier."

I gasped and dropped the box when I heard the voice. Turning, I plastered on a smile for my elderly neighbor, Joanna. She was always sneaking up on everyone since she barely made any noise. The woman had given me more near heart attacks than anyone I knew.

"Did you see who it was?"

"He was tall," she said. She narrowed her eyes, trying to remember. "He was a handsome young man."

I didn't have any admirers that I knew of. "Did you get anything else?"

"Oh yes," she exclaimed happily. "He had the oddest hair color, dear. But it looked very good on him. Some kind of…copper."

My eyes widened and I looked back down at the box and flowers. Edward Cullen had dropped these off at my door? I was beyond confused as I said goodnight to Joanna and packed up my new goodies to bring them inside. The roses were beautiful but I felt a little awkward placing them in the vase, like they didn't belong there. What was he doing dropping these things off here? We'd had a horrible date, not even a real one and I'd practically told him that I never wanted to see him again. Yet, here he was, leaving romantic things at my door.

I hardly knew the guy but something told me that this wouldn't be the last time this was going to happen.

**EPOV:**

"Did you do it?"

Alice's much too chipper voice rang through my ear early the next morning. I groaned and tried to throw a pillow at her but it was no use. She dodged it easily. I didn't want to get up. Last night had been a long night and I wanted to bury my head in the ground somewhere.

"Well…"

When I ignored her, she took my pillow and blanket, throwing them to the floor. I nearly growled and sat up, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

"Did you do it?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Good," she smiled. "I knew she was wrong. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't actually been an ass."

"You could've told me it was your friend that you'd set me up with," I voiced.

"Would it have made a difference?"

I shrugged and then the realization that she was in my apartment hit me. "Why do you people think that it's okay to break into my house?"

"It's not breaking in if I have a key," she mocked Rosalie's words and I rolled my eyes, wanting to get her out as quickly as I could.

"Yeah, you and Rose seem to think alike."

"All great minds do," she smirked as she sat down beside me. "You know, it's a good thing you liked her."

"Why?"

"She needed someone to," Alice confessed, lowering her eyes. I could tell that Alice cared a lot for her friend. If she didn't, we probably wouldn't be having the discussion that we were.

"You're a good friend," I admitted, smiling.

"Someone has to be," she teased as she stood and ruffled my hair. I stood and walked her to my door. Just as I went to say goodbye, she pulled something from her purse.

"By the way, you're having lunch with her today," she explained as she handed me a piece of paper. I assumed it was the directions to wherever I was having lunch today.

"Does she know?"

"No," Alice answered as she opened the door. "Good luck. I know she can be a bit stubborn but…I'm sure you'll figure something out."

She gave one last smile before she disappeared down the hall. I groaned and almost went after her but I remembered what I was wearing and figured that it wouldn't be such a good idea. After last night, it was the last thing I needed. So, I closed the door and began to form a plan to get back at her one of these days.

Then the phone rang and I was reminded that I had a lunch to get ready for.

**-**

Comments? Questions? I'm hoping you guys like it. I'm trying to keep it as light as possible until I have to add a bit of drama! Things will start heating up in the next chapter, I assure you! Please review and let me know what you guys thought :)

Much love to my beta, Rose, who still puts up with my crap ;D


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the late update but I'm here now. Things have been hectic on this side of things and I will be taking a short vacation here fairly soon. Luckily for me, Rose will be here to post my already written chapters for me so you guys don't have to go without! Here's chapter five!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 5- Surprise, Surprise**

**BPOV:**

Why did I ever give Alice a key?

She had yet again done something that she knew annoyed me more than any of her other antics: breaking into my home. Thankfully, she hadn't wakened me but she had left a note about going out to lunch. Maybe it was her way of apologizing. Who ever knew with Alice? I had been best friends with her for nearly eleven years and I still didn't know.

"Go to…Marcel's?"

I repeated it over in my head, trying to remember where the restaurant was. I knew it was near Hollywood and I knew it was expensive, but I didn't know the exact location. I flipped the page and smiled when I read over the directions. She'd been nice enough to include them.

I placed the papers on the counter after reading over them and went to my room. I knew that if I was late, Alice would grill me and that was something no one wanted to sit through. I could tell that even Jasper got uncomfortable when Alice was in one of her lecturing moods. I laughed when I remembered the last time she'd lectured Jasper on the proper use of a blender.

Shaking my head, I laughed out loud and walked into my closet.

**EPOV:**

I checked my watch for the third time. She was running late. Or maybe she had found out that it was actually me, instead of Alice, and she'd bailed. It would make sense. Sighing, I checked my watch once more and hoped that she was just late because of traffic. I barely knew the girl yet here I was, sweating over whether she'd show up to a lunch date when she didn't know it was me waiting! I felt like a teenage boy again.

"Sir, are you ready?"

"Give her five more minutes," I told him, trying to seem confident about her whereabouts. The waiter nodded and left me to myself again.

"Right this way," said another waiter and I looked up to see him leading Bella towards me. I suddenly became very nervous. When he stopped at my table, he pointed to the chair. "Here you are." That's when it all went downhill.

"You have got to be kidding me! Did you set this up? I thought I told you-"

"Could you please quiet down?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't want to create a scene, huh?"

I sighed and she sat down, hesitant at first. It was silent for a few minutes and I wondered if she was contemplating leaving me again. I didn't want her to. I didn't even want her to be mad at me. I just wanted her to smile at me, just once. I felt desperate, pathetic almost. What was I turning into?

"So, why did you set this up?"

"I never said I did," I replied, looking over my menu.

She sighed. "Then…it was…Alice!"

"Your friend seems to be quite the match maker."

She laughed sarcastically. "There is no match to be made." I nearly winced when she said that. I didn't know why it hurt so much.

"I'm sorry but did I do something to offend you?"

She bit her lip before she answered, "No."

"Then what's with the attitude?"

If looks could kill, I would be dead on the spot. She glared at me and I gulped, looking down. I was surprised at myself. I could handle anyone, from a crazed fan to an upset co-star, to even an angry publicist but this woman, this tiny, beautiful woman, I couldn't handle. I didn't want to be the reason for her anger.

"Why don't we just enjoy lunch? At the very least, you'll get a free meal," I offered, giving the menu a pointed a look.

She shrugged. "I guess that's fine."

I smiled but she ignored me, like I knew she would. This was going to be tougher than I thought.

**BPOV:**

I tried to ignore him.

He was making it difficult everytime he talked or moved. I was agitated that Alice had yet again pulled another fast one on me. Seriously, one would think that I'd know when she was setting something up that involved me. But I couldn't; which was why I was sitting in an expensive restaurant with a movie star that had amazing green eyes.

"Did you decide?"

I looked up, broken from my thoughts and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Could you at least try to enjoy it?"

I gave a half-smile. "Do I have to?"

"It was almost a smile," he commented, winking at me before the waiter came up. We quickly placed our orders before it was silent again.

"Why did you want to see me again?"

His smile disappeared as a perplexed expression fell onto his face. "I don't really know. I just wanted to see you again."

Despite the blush that I knew was growing, I laughed. "That's always good to hear." He smiled again, a dazzling smile and I felt suddenly weak.

I shook my head to clear my ridiculous thoughts. He was still the jerk from the night before. He had to act charming so that I wouldn't be so rude to him. It was all part of an act! Nothing about him was real! I tried to convince myself that he was just pulling an act, that his smile was just a phony and that I didn't feel like a stupid teenage girl again.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

I laughed, trying to focus. "I could do with more than a penny."

"A million for your thoughts, then?"

I couldn't help but smile.

"And I got a smile!"

"Don't get too used to it," I teased as the waiter set down our food. I thanked him and he left us alone again. Edward smiled before he began to eat. I picked at my food, eating slower than normal, feeling awkward.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to play with your food?"

I smirked. "Didn't your mother teach you to not talk with food in your mouth?"

"She tried," he joked, giving me another wink. I wanted to roll my eyes but a part of me opposed it completely.

"Edward!"

Shocked by another voice, I looked to the right of us and saw a young girl walking over, paper and pen in hand. Edward stopped what he was doing and turned to her, giving her a bright smile. The girl laughed and held out her paper, clearly wanting an autograph. After he signed it, she smiled and left, nearly bouncing instead of walking.

"Does it ever bother you?" I couldn't help my curiosity.

He looked confused before he realized what I was talking about. "It does at times but its part of the job."

"I would get tired of everyone coming up to me," I voiced, picking at the meatballs on my plate. He laughed but said nothing else.

"You really don't like anything that has to do with fame, do you?" he asked after a bout of silence. I shrugged but in truth, I really didn't care either way.

"I just don't…agree with it all."

"Some of us actually enjoy acting, you know," he told me and I nodded, listening. "Fame is just an element that comes along with it."

"I know," I agreed, looking at anything but him.

"Then why are you so hostile towards me?"

The worry in his voice surprised me. He seemed to be teetering in his chair, waiting for my answer. I was confused by his actions. One minute he seemed totally insecure and then the next minute, he was so confident that he oozed it.

"I don't mean to be," I came up with lamely.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you mean to be or not," he mocked my words from the night before, "But I still took it that way."

"Funny," I retorted. "That sounds so familiar."

"I heard it from a very beautiful person."

I felt my whole face redden when he called me beautiful. It was a compliment I'd only heard once in my life from someone other than my family. I tried to tell myself that I was being played, that it was all for publicity but a part of me wanted to go along with it. I didn't want to be a whimp and fall at his feet like the other girls did. It just wasn't me. I didn't want to be sucked into his gorgeous green eyes.

"I think it's time for me to go," I said as I began to stand. "I'm sorry."

"You're leaving me again?"

"I just…have an appointment," I lied as I stood up straight and pushed my chair in. I had to get out of there. He was making me feel things that I did _not _want to feel.

"Did I do something?"

"No," I answered before I took off.

**EPOV:**

I watched her leave for the second time. I felt like there was nothing I could do right. Alice seemed to be wrong again. Nothing was going the way I'd hoped. I'd scared off Bella again and without another chance of seeing her, with her willing of course. Alice _did _have to lie to get her to go to lunch with me. I felt like a fool.

I sighed and pulled out my phone, dialing a familiar number.

**-**

Sorry for such a late update but things have not been so well on this side so I've had to postpone my writing and everything else. But I got it to you now so no more worries! The next chapter will have a character that no one enjoys. I won't say who but I'm sure you guys already know ;)

With love :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews you guys! It feels awesome to know that people like your work and want more of it! So, I'm doing my authorly duties and giving you more. I've updated my other story (sorry about the wait) and now I'm updating this one. Sorry it took so long for an update. Family issues are hell to deal with but I know ya'll don't want to hear about that, so I'll let you get on with the reading.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 6- Can I Go Now?**

**BPOV:**

Stupid celebrities and their stupid good looks.

I walked down the street, trying to get away from the restaurant as fast as I could. I knew Alice could be working so I couldn't go find her and yell at her. Not right now, anyways. But she would get a piece of my mind and it would be the piece that was angry as hell right now at her. I should've known that she'd try to set me up with a _celebrity. _She couldn't have just gone with a nice, normal guy who didn't get asked for autographs and didn't have perfect green eyes…stop it!

I sighed and continued down the sidewalk before someone stopped me. They were holding a camera, pointed towards me and their hands were closing in on me.

"Listen pal, I don't know what kind of stuff you're up to but whatever it is, I'm not interested," I barked, trying to move around him. When he mimicked my action and I found myself stuck again, I frowned and got ready to pull the mace from my purse.

"I'll give you five more seconds," I told him. He stared at me for a moment before he snapped a few pictures. I scoffed and held my hands to cover my face. "What are you doing?"

"Come on," a voice suddenly whispered in my ear. I knew the voice, knew the person who was currently dragging me wherever, but I didn't know _why_. After a few minutes, a few turns, and a few curses, we stopped.

He moved his arm from my face and I stood up straight, trying to stretch out my back. When I saw Edward leaning up against the dirty wall of the alley, I briefly thought that the dark and disgusting alley didn't suit him very well.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded to him and tried to figure out where I was. "Where are we?"

"In an alley," he said pointedly. I shot him a glare as I moved slowly towards the entrance. "I wouldn't do that."

Glancing back at him, I knew I looked confused. "Why?"

"Because their still looking for us," he said as though it was nothing. He was leaning against the wall, watching me intently. He didn't seem at all confused about the photographers. I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out why…

"They think I'm with you, don't they?"

"Beauty and brains," he smiled. "I like you."

I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore his comment. "Do they think I'm with you? We have to go tell them."

"Their paparazzi, Bella," he chided, "They don't listen to anyone but their boss."

"Well…what are we going to do then?"

"We wait."

I narrowed my eyes. "This is your fault."

It was his turn to look angry and slightly offended. "Tell me how this is my fault."

I turned and placed my hands on my hips, ready to explain the entire situation to him if need be. I pursed my lips and stared at him. "If you hadn't tricked me into going to lunch-"

"Alice did that," he corrected me.

I sighed. "You still went along with it. She didn't do it just because. She must've had a reason. Alice is pretty crazy but she doesn't do something unless the person wanted it." I stopped for a brief moment. "Well, at least _one _of the persons."

"That…isn't…"

He stuttered around his words and I smirked, happy to watch him search for the right words. "You don't have to deny it. You already said you liked me."

He seemed flabbergasted as he replied, "No, I meant…something else."

"Some acting skills," I muttered to myself.

"My _acting skills_ happen to have gotten me a Golden Globe," he called to me as I turned my back. I winced. He had heard me.

I waited a moment before I heard the gravel crunching underneath his feet. He was walking towards me. When it stopped, I looked to my right to see him standing beside me, looking out at the street in front of us. A few cars went by, but it was silent otherwise. Surprisingly, it wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest. I just really wanted to get out of the smelly alley.

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, looking at me. "It could be hours, days…years." His cocky smile showed and I rolled my eyes. "You can go soon and I'll go after you."

"Don't want to be seen with me now?" I teased, my eyes moving from him to the street.

He laughed. "It's anything but that. I would love to be seen with a beautiful woman. But even celebrities have rules."

"And I thought you got to run the streets like banshees," I laughed. He turned and gave a short chuckle. I knew my cheeks were red from being called beautiful for the second time. I just tried to ignore the compliment and focus on getting out of the alley. It became silent again as we waited another five minutes.

"I'm sure it's safe now," Edward said.

"Are you sure? I was dying to use my mace," I joked, smiling as we walked out of the alley. "Too bad you came when you did."

"I'm sure the man will appreciate me rescuing you."

"I wouldn't call it rescuing," I laughed.

"Why not?"

"You ran too," I pointed out, "Not exactly white knight material."

"Well, a good knight knows when to pick his battles," he replied as we walked down the street. I gave him a pointed look. "Okay, not my best work, I admit."

I grinned widely and we turned the corner. We were back at the restaurant. I had been so distracted by our conversation that I didn't even watch where we had been going.

"White knights aren't supposed to practice trickery," I added as we stopped in front of the restaurant doors.

"Well, maybe I'm a black knight," he said, tapping my chin as he did so. It seemed like an intimate gesture. I coughed awkwardly and stepped back a bit. He must have noticed my attitude because he looked away from me.

After a moment, he continued, "I figured I could charm you back to the restaurant where you can finish your lunch."

I contemplated the idea. I _was _hungry and Edward had turned out to be better company than I thought. I figured it couldn't hurt to finish the rest of my lunch. It was free after all and Alice could wait until later. I know I'd see her anyway because she'd want the details about the date she'd set up. If I didn't usually figure out her plan beforehand, she'd give herself away.

"I guess I can do that," I shrugged. "Lead the way, sir knight." He shot me a look and I laughed as we walked back into the restaurant and took our seats.

**EPOV:**

Bella seemed to be warming up to me.

As we ate, we talked about non-important things. I asked her what she was studying and where she worked. I just wanted to learn everything I could about her. She seemed like the most interesting person in the world to me. I didn't particularly care about what anyone else thought.

"You still here, Cullen?"

I looked up, distracted by her voice and smiled. "Are we being reduced to last names now?"

"Did we ever get to first names?"

After a moment, we both started laughing. Eventually, the waiter came up with the check and I offered to pay for it.

"I can pay for half," she argued as she tried to reach for it. I held it high up, already pulling out my wallet. "Just because you have more money…"

"It's not that at all," I interrupted her. She was so difficult sometimes. "I just want to pay for it."

"I can pay for half," she repeated. She pulled out her wallet and grabbed a twenty from it before she stood and left me sitting there, the bill lying flatly on the table. I just stared as she walked towards the front doors. Sighing, I pulled out the cost for both of us and paid. I swiped up her twenty and stuffed it into my back pocket before I got up to follow her.

I found her outside, leaning against the wall.

"I could have paid for it you know," I mentioned as I went to stand next to her. "You didn't have to turn it into an argument."

"You didn't have to argue," she replied, her eyes searching for something across the street.

"I don't understand you," I said as I leaned against the wall, watching the cars pass by. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her eyes flash momentarily to me.

"What's there to not understand? You barely know me."

"I know you're stubborn," I laughed. When she turned to glare at me, I stopped laughing and continued, "And I know that you don't like me."

She seemed shocked as she stepped away from the wall to face me. "It's not that I don't like _you_; I don't like celebrities in general."

"Have you ever met one?" I realized what I said and corrected myself. "I mean besides me."

"No," she answered.

"Wow, you base your hatred off of what?"

"The way you guys act," she shrugged and I stared at her, dumbfounded. She didn't let off the chain, did she? "I guess you're not _so _bad." She cocked her head and shot me a small smile. I offered her a grin and crossed my arms.

"I'm special," I teased. She rolled her eyes. "You just admitted that a celebrity wasn't _so _bad. I'm special."

"It's not special. It's lucky."

"Well, I'm lucky then, to have met you," I smiled and took a bow towards her. She laughed and punched my shoulder playfully.

"Get up," she ordered. "You look ridiculous."

"Eh, it's okay. The cameras have caught worse," I said as I stood up, back to looking down at her. She shook her head and looked down the street.

"I better get going," she said, glancing down at her watch.

I didn't want her to leave but there was nothing I could do about it. I decided that I would ask her once again. "Can I see you again?"

She began to walk backwards, seemingly thinking. After a moment, she smiled and met my eyes. "I'll think about it."

"I was hoping for a yes," I called.

She laughed. "Maybe you'll get it."

**BPOV:**

I couldn't believe I flirted with him. As I walked towards Alice's office, I went over the events of the day. I'd gone to a lunch that had been set up, ran from paparazzi, and got along with the man I had considered a jerk hours before. I couldn't remember the last time so much had happened since I'd moved here.

I walked into Alice's office, nodding to the receptionist. Entering her main office, I could see her in her chair, the phone practically attached to her ear.

"I love you too, babe," she said into the phone. I rolled my eyes and walked further into the office, taking a seat on the comfortable leather couch. "I'll see you later." She hung up and turned her chair around. I smiled when she gasped.

"I didn't hear you come in."

"I should've known you'd set me up again," I accused. She looked momentarily frightened before she replaced it with a face of ultimate calm. "You're lucky I had a good time."

"You did? You actually had fun?"

I feigned offense by putting my hand to my chest. "I can have fun."

"You consider working fun," she said as she shot me a pointed look. I shrugged.

"You consider work fun."

"But my work _is _fun."

"Says you," I replied lamely.

"Not everyone hates the spotlight, Bells," she informed me before she filed some paperwork. I watched her place it in her cabinet before I raised a questioning brow.

"Why do you even have paperwork? You're a personal stylist and sometimes publicist," I asked and stated.

She shrugged. "I like to keep track of what I'm doing so I don't get confused."

"That's something I thought I'd never hear you say."

"What?"

"That you like to keep track of anything," I joked, smiling brightly when she narrowed her eyes in my direction.

"So, you liked the lunch then?" she asked, changing the subject easily. Sure, I'd had a good time but that didn't mean I wanted to talk about it.

"I had a fine time."

**APOV:**

As I listened to my best friend talk about what happened at lunch, a plan was already forming in my head. Why I decided that Edward and Bella would be good together, I would never know but they just sounded good together. I shook my head and tried to re-focus on what Bella was relaying to me. I heard something about an alleyway and finishing lunch with a fight over the bill.

"You actually argued about the bill?"

"Well…I wanted to pay for half of it and he wouldn't let me."

"So, let me guess…you dropped a twenty and left?"

Bella nodded and I rolled my eyes. It was so like Bella to pledge her independence when a guy wanted to cover her food bill. I only hoped she didn't take it too far and push away the guy that seemed to like her so much.

**BPOV:**

Half an hour later, I left Alice's office and made a quick stop at the store to buy a snack. I got what I wanted, waited in line and when it came to my turn, I pulled out my wallet, ready to use my credit card. But when I opened it and saw the twenty lying in the pocket, I sighed and handed it to the woman. How had he even gotten it into my purse? The woman handed me my bag and I made it to my apartment in ten minutes top.

I can't believe he gave me my money back. He couldn't have just left it there and let it be. No, he had to be a gentleman and pay for everything, then give me my money back by somehow getting it back into my wallet.

After a minute, I started to laugh, realizing how crazy I sounded. I was mad because he'd given me my money back when I should be happy that someone paid for the food. I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts, reminding myself he'd done it with good intentions.

I quickly got ready for bed and as I lied down on the pillow, I briefly wondered if he would actually _try _to see me again.

With a smile, I decided he would.

**-**

Well? I have a funny story to tell. I got a message from a person (I won't say the username) and she wanted to know how I wrote one story where Edward and Bella hated each other and how I could write another where Edward was in love with her. It's simple person whose username I won't mention. When you write, you have ideas and when you get stuck on them, your creativity comes out and you become a better writer. That and I just really try to use my characters to the fullest. She also said wonderful things about both my Twilight stories so thank you!

Also, thanks to everyone else who reviewed. Thanks to Rose for betaing this super quickly.

With love :)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I was so glad I could post this before Christmas! I didn't think I'd fit it in between shopping and wrapping and doing everything else that requires attention. So, here is my present to you all. Thanks so much for the reviews! I **will not **be posting until next Monday. I'll be spending this weekend with family and friends and will not have a computer, unfortunately. We like to shut them off to ensure quality 'family time'. Strange, I know but it really seems to work. So, hopefully this will hold off you hungry readers until Monday. Also, if this chapter seems like a **filler chapter**, it is and it isn't. It sets the pace for the next chapter while including some sentimental conversation and memories.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 7- Visiting the Past**

**BPOV:**

"Bella, this is of utter importance, I promise!"

I groaned and rolled the phone to my left ear, trying to concentrate on her rushed voice. It was difficult, considering I was still half asleep and she was talking faster than any normal human being could understand. Sometimes, I wondered if _she _was even human. Laughing internally at my thoughts, I shook my head and tried to focus on her words.

"My parents…anniversary party…this weekend…Edward…"

That was about all I got out of it.

"Can you go slower this time?"

She sighed, moved the phone around. "My parents are having their anniversary wedding. They've been married for-"

"Fifteen years, I know," I finished for her.

Alice huffed but continued. She didn't like to be interrupted. Ever. "And they want us to come down, along with some friends. We're to be the bridesmaids, along with one of my girlfriends. I also invited two others."

"Let me take a big, wild guess: Edward and the girl's…"

"Husband," she finished for me. "His name is Emmett and I think you two will like each other."

"I don't know Alice," I said, worried about what would happen if Edward and I were put too close together for too long. Sure, we'd had a nice lunch but that didn't mean every time I saw him would be nice. After tons of thought, I'd come to the conclusion that I was still unsure about him.

"Come on, Bells," Alice pleaded. "It's near Christmas and my parent's anniversary wedding. I want to give it to them. And you're like a second daughter."

"Where is it going to be?"

"Forks," Alice said as though I should have known. I sighed but knew I'd have to face my hometown eventually. "I know about the…situation there so I've made sure that _he _won't show up."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Alice beamed across the line, if one could beam over the phone. "Now, pack your bags because we leave in two days."

"Two days?" I sighed. "Is a week's notice really so much to ask for? I have to tell my boss."

"You work in retail," Alice seemed to state and chide at the same time. I waited for it. "It's not like they'll go crazy without you." Yep, that Alice was a keeper. I said my goodbyes and hung up with her, my mind reeling from what just happened.

I briefly wondered why she always called me so early to tell me unexpected things. Shrugging to no one, I lied back down and pulled the pillow over my eyes.

**EPOV:**

"So, this is for one of your friend's parents?"

"Alice is a good friend," Rosalie called to me from the living room. I had been hearing non-stop about Alice's parent's anniversary wedding. "We have to go."

I came, sliding my jacket on. "She's a good friend of mine too but that doesn't mean we have to intrude in her personal life."

"That's what good friends do," she replied.

I shot her a pointed look. "That explains you then."

She threw a pillow at me but I caught it and dropped it back down on the couch. I ignored her as I moved around the apartment searching for my wallet. Ever since I'd heard about the anniversary wedding, I'd been cautious. I liked Alice and considered us to be friends but it seemed a bit personal for me to go. I had the weekend off but it seemed strange. When I found my wallet, I made a victorious noise and walked back to Rose.

She didn't look up as she asked, "Where are you going?"

"Out," I said discreetly, hoping she'd leave me alone.

When she looked up, I knew she was in a prying mood. Wait, I take that back. Rose was _always _in a prying mood. "Are you going out with that Tanya girl?"

"No!"

"Good because from what I hear, things are getting good between you and Bella."

I rolled my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Where do you hear this from? It was one lunch and she didn't even know it was with me. It had some better parts but mostly it was her chewing me out. I can do no good with this woman!"

I couldn't understand why it felt so good to say it.

"But you like her," Rose concluded.

I breathed; bit the inside of my cheek. "Where is your husband when I need him?"

"He'll be back soon," she answered before she went back to analyzing her nails. The woman seriously never let up but it was one of the many aspects I liked about her, even when I told her it was one of the ones I disliked the most.

"Are you just going to stand and stare or are you actually going to do something with your miserable life?"

"Always a charmer," I smiled and ducked when another pillow came flying my way. "I don't know why we didn't end up together."

"I know," she teased, pressing a hand to heart. "Forgive me for not falling in love with the irresistible Edward Cullen. As if, my friend."

"I'm not that bad," I grumbled and made my way towards the door. She just laughed and waved me off with a flick of her wrist. I rolled my eyes but left her alone in my apartment, which was probably not a safe thing to do but I wasn't in the mood to argue with her.

As I made my way towards the front gate, I opened my cell and dialed.

**APOV:**

"Bella, where are you?"

I stepped into Bella's apartment and looked around, both of my brows sky-high. It wasn't like her to go out on a Wednesday night but maybe she had changed her mind. I sighed and moved around the place, going to her bedroom first. I laughed when I saw her fast asleep on her bed. I was about to wake her up when her phone began to rang. I checked the caller id but it was unknown. Curiosity peaking, I answered it.

"Bella's phone, Alice speaking," I said into the cell.

"Alice?"

"Edward, nice of you to call," I smiled and pushed Bella. She woke up quickly, her eyes searching the room quickly before they landed on me, surprise filling them. I just smiled and waved, shoving the phone into her hand before she could fully wake up.

"Hello, who is this? What do you want?"

I heard a vague response before she rolled her eyes.

"How did you get this number?"

It was silent before Bella sighed and hung up the phone. I peered down at her as she snuggled back into her pillow. "You do realize it's nearly seven at night, right?"

"Yes."

I laughed and poked her until she sat up again. "Seriously, is he stalking me?" When my response was a short chuckle and hers was a glare, I shut up and looked around. "How did he get my number? Wait, why am I even asking?" She shot me a pointed look and I tried my best to look innocent. When her stare continued, I became uncomfortable and broke.

"Fine, I gave it to him," I admitted, shrugging when she groaned. "It's not like it's such a bad thing. How else was he going to talk to you again?"

"That was the point," she bitterly spoke.

I nudged her and changed subjects. "Well, maybe you'll have a better chance to get to know him at the anniversary wedding this weekend."

"So, he's only going because I am?"

I bit my lip and looked away guiltily. "Uh, he…doesn't know yet."

"Great," she deadpanned before she got off the bed and went towards the bathroom. "I've decided that you don't have to get me any Christmas presents."

I moved towards the door. "Why?"

"Because you give me enough surprises in one week to last me a lifetime," she said through the wooden door. I laughed when she opened it with a sour face.

"I'm thinking of changing my mind," she blurted out.

"Oh, no you're not. You're going and you're going to have fun and drink wine and enjoy the company of others."

"Says who?"

**BPOV:**

"I really dislike you right now," I said as Alice dragged me up the steps to her house in Forks. The short plane ride had been boring and even though Alice had made a list of all the positive points of the trip, I was still feeling the more negative points of it.

"Bella! Alice!"

I was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug. I tried to hug back but it was difficult when the air was being squeezed from you. I couldn't help but to laugh though. I'd always enjoyed visiting Alice's parents, not matter the circumstances. They were like my second family and I always had fun when I was at their house, despite my age. They were born entertainers.

"It's so good to see you," Esme exclaimed when she pulled away. Carlisle simply smiled, which spoke volumes if you knew the man well enough to pick apart the emotions on his face.

"I'm glad I could come and celebrate with you," I said as I turned to look at the car. Carlisle seemed to notice what I was looking at and went to help Jasper with the bags.

"Well, come in," Esme ushered, already pushing me and Alice towards the door. "Let the men handle the bags."

I nodded as she led us in. It still smelled the same as it did back in high school. The wallpaper was changed but the same furniture remained. There was also a piano in the back corner, the same one that Alice had tried to play but failed miserably. I still remembered her first day with her piano teacher. She'd worn a ball gown and when the teacher told her to remove it she threw a fit and decided she didn't like piano lessons or the piano itself. I myself had never been able to master it.

"So, when are your other guests arriving?"

Alice glanced down at her watch. "They should be here tonight. You remember Rose?"

"Ah, yes," Esme said, narrowing her eyes in remembrance. "I think I met her when we came down. She's the blonde, right dear?"

"Yep," Alice answered.

"How's everything going in the city?"

"Its fine," I answered before Alice could dish out the true facts. It had been fine but I was still on my own. I flashed a quick look at Alice and sighed. We didn't all get the fairytale life she had. Met her husband right when she moved there, had a wonderful job and many friends. I had been envious at times, but I got over it and realized that it didn't happen to everyone.

"How's school?"

"A little harder than I remember school here being," I joked and laughed when Esme gave a quick snort.

"You'll be done sooner than you think and having your anniversary wedding just like us," she said as she winked. I nodded but I tried not to think too much of it.

"I hope so," I commented, looking from Esme to Carlisle, who came through the door. When I had been younger, Esme and Carlisle had seemed like the perfect couple; they still did. I had wanted that and thought I had it in Jacob until I learned otherwise.

"Are you alright, Bella?"

I looked up to see Jasper leaning over me. I gave him a small grin. I don't know why but he seemed to always know when something was up with me or anyone really. He was the type of person you could talk to without feeling judged. He seemed to really listen. I looked over at Alice and her husband and smiled. They _were _perfect for each other.

"Well, let's get to your rooms before your friends get here," Esme announced as she began up the stairs. Alice naturally would take her own room, and I would most likely get the guest bedroom down the hall, as I always did. As Esme opened the door, I noticed that nothing had changed. Everything was still the same.

"I couldn't change anything," she commented as she walked in to join me. I looked around and knew what she meant by anything. Nothing was moved, not even a picture. "It seemed to preserve the younger years, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I think it does," I agreed.

She breathed a sad sigh. "I don't know when you kids grew up."

"I don't know when either," I said as I walked around the room to pat the bed. Even the sheets were the same, I mused.

"I better go down and start dinner," she said and I nodded, watching her leave the old room. I didn't realize how many memories this house carried until I was actually _in_ it. It would be a busy weekend that was for sure.

Then I thought of Edward's soon to be presence and realized that it would also be a difficult one as well.

**-**

So, did you like it? Sorry if it was a bit boring but I didn't want to add too much and make it overstuffed. However, I tried to include a bit of the sentimental so you get a feel for the next chapter, which will be very interesting! I'm excited to finish it. I'm almost done with it but, being the evil author I am, I'm making you guys wait until after the holidays. Now, I have to go pack and find a way to fit all of the presents into my tiny car. Yes, I have **that **many.

Merry Christmas everyone!

With love ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Sorry about the late update but I figured I'd just update after the holidays and such. Family only stays for so long. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! Cliche, I know, but had to get that out of the way. On to the story. This chapter is long because I thought I'd be nice and add a little extra. The next chapter is when the **drama **really starts though.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 8- The Good Stuff**

**EPOV:**

"Did we _have _to drive?"

Rosalie looked over her shoulder to roll her eyes but said nothing. I sighed and returned my attention back to the trees that we quickly passed. Emmett, Rose and I had been driving for nearly four hours and she was banking on getting there around midnight. I told her that it was too far and we should've just flown but she disagreed. As usual.

"Stop your complaining," she finally called to me from the front seat, her magazine perched on her knee.

"It's not complaining. I just feel…cramped," I replied, holding back the string of insults I could easily throw at her.

"It is complaining," she argued without looking up, "And it needs to stop. We'll be there soon enough dear Eddy."

"Have I told you how much I hate you lately?"

"Every chance you get," she laughed, her eyes still focused on the fashion magazine in front of her. I could hear Emmett chuckling in the driver's seat. I had a sudden urge to kick the back of the seat but ended up trying to ignore the duo all together.

That was, until my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Edward!" I heard Tanya's nasally voice echo through the phone. I sighed and wondered if the day could get any worse. "Where are you?"

"I told you I was going on a road trip," I reminded her.

"Well, I forgot," she said. "Are you going to be back in time for the premiere?"

I breathed in and out, trying to relax myself. The woman was enough to make me want to take therapy. "I'll only be gone for two days."

"Okay, well, I miss you."

"I have to go," I said and hung up before she could complain further about the situation. We had starred in one movie together and now she considered us an 'item'. I had told my publicist to keep her far away but apparently, Tanya was a hard force to stop.

"Was that your girlfriend?"

"She wishes," Emmett finally said, cracking up.

"Please, laugh at my misery," I spoke to both of them, trying to block out the sound of their laughter.

I saw Rosalie shake her head. "Oh, don't worry, we've got that covered."

When I heard my phone ringing again, I groaned and pressed end before I shut it off and threw it into my bag. If anything, this weekend would be a great chance to get away from everything, media and publicists.

**BPOV:**

After changing into some comfortable clothes, I walked out of my room and down the hall, heading towards the living room. The house was still the same, in sight and smell. The same pictures from five years back hung on the wall, the same shade of paint was still there too. As I walked down the stairs, I heard giggling, immediately recognizing it as Alice's. My brows rose in curiosity and I descended the rest of the steps and stopped when I saw the huge tree that Jasper and Carlisle were trying to put up.

"Do you guys need some help?"

I blushed when everyone's eyes turned to me. Carlisle waved me over just as Esme stepped out of the kitchen, a tray full of cookies and cups in her hand. I smiled at her as she set them down on the coffee table and went to help her husband and daughter.

"How's it coming?"

"Not so good," Jasper commented as he stepped away from the ladder. "We decided to cut it down ourselves this year."

"Well, there sure is a lot out there," I said, my eyes trained on the large pine. Jasper laughed and nodded in agreement before he rushed forward to capture Alice before she stepped off the ladder. I smiled when she looked down at Jasper and patted his hand, ensuring him that she was alright.

"I'll help," I called before I went forward and pushed the tree. Eventually, with much pushing and laughing, we got the tree up. I was just glad that the ceilings were high enough. "You got the biggest tree, didn't you?"

Carlisle smiled proudly. "Jasper picked it out but _I _cut it down."

"I helped," Jasper called from beside the tray of cookies. Alice was already biting into one as she walked towards the tree. She seemed to analyze it for a moment, probably trying to decide what ornaments and lights to use this year. Alice was always the one to decide that aspect of Christmas.

"I want to go out and get the lights," Alice finally spoke after several minutes of silence. No one argued with her. Everyone knew that Christmas was her thing. "Jasper, want to run to the store with me?"

"Why not use the lights in the storage room, dear?" Of course, Esme didn't want anyone leaving since we just got here.

"I have a better idea, mom," Alice said gently, "And I want it to be a surprise."

"You'll still use the tradition ornaments, right?"

"Of course," she scoffed. Esme smiled before Alice and Jasper grabbed their coats and left through the front door. Carlisle excused himself, leaving me and Esme to mill about the living room in silence.

Before I knew it, she had started a fire and we were both on the couch, sharing milk and cookies like when Alice and I were younger.

"Why don't you tell me about your friends who are coming down?"

I wrinkled my nose up and sighed. I didn't really know much about any of them to be honest. I only knew Edward because I'd been forced to read up on him. I didn't know anything about Rose except that she was Alice's good friend. And I knew absolutely nothing about her husband.

"Um, to be honest Esme, Alice would be the better person to ask," I squeaked, embarrassed that I didn't know the guests well enough to speak of them. "I don't really know them that well."

"Alice said you knew Edward," she said, confused.

Of course Alice would say that. I furrowed my brows and tried to think of some interesting facts I'd read about him and learned about him on our date. "He's very…interesting."

Esme smiled. "How is that?"

"He likes to be the center of attention but he doesn't. He's a jerk but he isn't."

"You can't be both a jerk and not. You're either one or the other."

"That's what makes him interesting, I guess," I shrugged, giving her a small smile. "It's hard to explain."

She seemed to ponder that for a moment before a knowing smile crept onto her face. She patted my hand and offered another cookie. "I'm sure it is."

"I wonder where Alice is," I mused, glancing over at the clock above the piano. It read near midnight. "They've been gone awhile."

But Esme was already cleaning up everything, not really listening to my words. She wanted to make sure everything was clean when her other, less familial guests arrived. I watched her walk around and dust something that was already shiny. Esme was probably the only person I knew who could make a place look perfect without even trying.

A few minutes later and I heard the door open, along with a few familiar voices. "Look who's here!"

My eyes followed her voice to see Edward and two strangers standing behind him, one looking excited and the other looking slightly annoyed. Edward looked indifferent, like he didn't want to be here. I frowned. Then he shouldn't have come.

**EPOV:**

The first thing I saw when I entered Alice's parent's home was the giant pine tree. It wasn't decorated, so it looked strange just perched in the middle of the living room. The next thing I saw was Bella, staring at us. She looked confused for a minute before a frown took over her features. Now, she just looked pissed.

I internally sighed and figured that she didn't know I was coming. Leave it to Alice to pull yet another fast one on me. I would have to convince her that I didn't know she was here either. I was just as surprised as she was when I saw her sitting on the couch, looking beautiful against the firelight. Well, I would leave _that _part out.

"Welcome to my abode…well, my previous one anyways," Alice welcomed as she spread her arms, inviting us in.

A woman who I assumed was her mother came up and smiled. "It will always be your home dear. Welcome."

I smiled politely at her even though the whole situation felt awkward. After a second, a man came down the stairs, a warm smile on his lips. I returned the smile and moved away from the open door where the cold swept in.

"Come in before you freeze," the man, obviously Alice's father, called before he walked to the door and shut it.

"I'll take your bags," he said and I let him, not wanting to offend the man I didn't know. Alice came up to me, flanked by Rose and Emmett and Jasper. She introduced us to her parents, Esme and Carlisle. Then the adults left us alone to go upstairs, saying they needed to prepare our guestrooms.

"Do your parents even have enough space?"

"Did you not see how big this house was, dude?"

Emmett's deep voice was heard above everyone else's. I rolled my eyes and glanced over at Bella, who had moved her attention to the fireplace, her frown still lingering. I ignored my friend's ridiculous comments and moved towards her, contemplating my next words. In silence, I joined her on the couch and stared into the fire.

**BPOV:**

I felt someone sit down next to me on the couch but I didn't have to turn to see who it was. I knew it was Edward. Obviously, he felt awkward about the whole thing. I could tell when I watched him shake Carlisle's hand. I expected him to handle it without awkwardness to be honest. With him being a Grammy-winning actor and all.

"Listen…I didn't know you were here," he finally said.

I turned to look at him. I tried to ignore the sudden attraction that came from nowhere when I saw his emerald eyes staring at me.

"Its fine," I said, wanting him to leave me alone. I didn't like the way he was starting to make me feel everytime he came around. It was unnerving and seemed to make things even more awkward than they were.

"I didn't want you to think-"

"I said it was fine," I repeated and continued to stare at the flickering flame. Being rude was the best way to smash any strange feelings. At least, it helped _me_. I watched him from the corner of my eye. He fiddled with invisible lint on his jeans and I realized he was nervous. _He _was nervous. And here I thought nothing could break his confident façade.

With a sigh, I turned to him and pulled what I hoped was a determined expression. "Listen, this weekend was supposed to be for family so I don't know why Alice invited you but she did and you're here so let's make this easy. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

He was silent for a moment. "I don't want to stay out of your way."

Just like that, he'd regained confidence and pissed me off all in one sentence. "I'm going to bed." I got up and he followed. "And no, don't follow me!"

I tried to ignore his eyes burning a hole into my neck as I walked up the stairs. I was relieved when I was finally out of his line of sight. I quickly went to my room and locked myself in it, not wanting anyone to bother me. This weekend just got ten times more difficult.

**-**

"Bella!"

I groaned and rolled over, purposefully ignoring the irritated voice beside my bed. How she got into my room, I would never know. I never really understood how Alice did half the things she did but she did them, whether or not I wanted her to. I felt her nudge me gently but I knew if I didn't get up, her pushes would become rougher, until she was nearly throwing me off the bed. So, with my personal health in mind, I sat up and looked around.

"What?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

I looked over at the clock that read nine…in the morning. "It's only nine!"

"Yeah and we have to set up everything. The party is today!"

"I know that but not until six at night! You do everything well enough on your own," I argued, wanting to get a few extra hours of sleep.

"I need your help," she tried again. When I looked over at her, she seemed to be pouting. With a frustrated sigh, I threw back the covers and got out of the warm bed to start getting ready for the day ahead.

"Thank you!" She hugged me quickly and tightly. When she let go, her face was full of determination. "When you're ready, get downstairs and I'll have a list of things I need you to do on the counter in the kitchen. Okay?"

I just nodded before she smiled, pleased, and left me to my own. I mumbled a few vulgarities as I got dressed and made my way downstairs, still bummed that I didn't get any extra sleep.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," I heard and turned to look at the guy known as Emmett. It was the blonde's husband. He seemed friendly enough, if not a little intrusive.

"I'm trying," I offered, giving the smallest smile I could muster. Before I knew it, he was in front of me, holding out a hand.

"I'm Emmett," he introduced himself.

I shook his hand, smiled. "I'm Bella but I'm sure you already knew that."

His smile seemed to grow ten times bigger and I wondered if anything could put him down. "I did. Are you ready for the party?"

"I would've been more ready for it if I had gotten a few more hours of sleep," I grumbled. He laughed and patted my back.

"Then you would've missed all the fun," he said quietly, as though it were a secret. I was confused, wondering what fun he found in preparing for a party, when suddenly, he pulled out a bottle of silly string and sent the goo flying towards the front door just as Edward walked in. My eyes widened as he got covered in the purple foam. After a moment of silence, Emmett turned and I high-fived him. I began laughing when he did.

"Your right," I said through my laughter, "I'm glad I didn't miss _that_."

When I managed to calm myself and look up, Edward was pulling the string from his clothes, an irritated look gracing his handsome features. I nearly pranced towards him and patted his head, smiling the entire time.

"It happens to the best of us."

As I went through the front door, I heard Emmett cracking up from behind me. I shook my head, deciding that I liked the Emmett guy and continued down the steps and into the front yard. I saw the blonde, Rosalie, taking out groceries from her car. I walked around the side of the house before she saw me to see Alice telling Jasper where the chairs belonged. I also saw a few strangers setting up a few tents and lights, Alice directing them all the way of course. I wondered how it would've gone down without her to instruct everyone. Briefly, I imagined complete chaos. Yeah, that sounded like it.

"Bella, what are you doing? Why aren't you inside, cooking?"

"What?"

I'd been caught.

"You're supposed to be inside, cooking! You cook the best out of all of us, so go!"

Still reeling from her commands, I held up a hand. "I can't do all that cooking without help."

"I sent in help."

"Fine," I barked as I walked back towards the house. Weaving in and out of strangers carrying decorations and chairs, I made it safely into the house without being hit; which was saying a lot, since I was so clumsy.

I made it into the kitchen, my eyes roaming all the ingredients laid out on the counter. I saw Alice's list and my eyes widened at the meals she wanted me to prepare. Thankfully, she'd gotten a catering service to serve the plates and luckily, I didn't have to cook any appetizers. I just had to cook the dinners and desserts. Besides the cake, Alice wanted everyone to have some chocolate soufflé type thing.

I was about to go out and ask where the help was when the door opened and Edward entered. I felt my face fall as I watched him walk towards me, looking eager.

"You're the help?"

"You have a problem with it?" He set the paper he had been holding down on the counter and made a move to leave. I debated quickly. I really couldn't do it by myself. I sighed and gave in. "How good are you with food?"

He turned and smiled, confident and ready. I wouldn't make this easy on him.

**-**

An hour later and I was only through twenty of the desserts. Edward had been absolutely no help, breaking the chocolate everytime I handed it to him and spilling sauce everywhere. I was nearly ready to call it quits on him but he did help with the making of the chocolate. I was currently transferring the chocolate cups to their individual bowls.

"Are you ready for the whip cream?"

I had heard him but I had been ignoring him for so long that I didn't really care to answer him. He'd do what he wanted anyway. But when I felt the whip cream land in my hair, I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself before I turned and kicked him through the nearest window.

"Oops," he said and I turned.

"Are you serious? I have to finish this," I nearly yelled, wiping the white goop from my hair. I looked down at it before I smiled. Quickly and before he noticed my arm going up, I threw the whip cream at him, straight at his face. It landed with a quiet 'plop' and I bended over as I laughed. When I looked up again, I got a handful of the whip cream in my face.

Shocked, I looked across from me to see Edward laughing.

"Oh, that is so it," I called and began to chase after him. I grabbed the second can of whip cream and poured some onto my hand before I threw it. It landed in his hair, much like it had mine and he reached up to touch it.

"Not so fun when it's your hair, huh?"

But he didn't look unhappy or angry. In fact, when he began to chase me, he looked amused. I ran to the other side of the counter, effectively avoiding his next handful of whip cream. I smiled and fell to the floor, hiding from him. Just as I turned to go around, crawling on my hands and knees, I felt the cool whip cream get smeared on my face. I stared straight to see Edward on his hands and knees, laughing once again.

Glaring playfully, I pushed him back, fighting him for the whip cream. When I finally grabbed it, I realized I was straddling him and that we were too close for comfort. Our laughter ceased and I felt his hands move up to my hips. I watched his emotions play out through his bright eyes, which were watching me.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I nearly jumped ten feet from him when I heard the familiar voice. Like a child that had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar, I looked down at my feet, ashamed. When I looked up, Alice was…smiling? Confused, I looked over at Edward and noticed him still holding the can of whip cream.

"He threw some at me," I shrugged, pointing to the whip cream on my face.

"I can see that," she laughed, her eyes looking around the kitchen, which was partially covered in the white cream. "Well, I hope you finish shortly." With that, she left without another word. I sighed and looked to the ceiling before I looked over at Edward.

"Thanks," I bit out even though I couldn't contain my smile anymore. I didn't know what was happening. One minute I was yelling at him and the next I was straddling him. He was creating feelings within me that I was not keen on feeling.

He laughed at my remark and walked towards me, his finger tapping my nose and taking the cream off of it.

"We should really get back to work, Bella," he chided. "You wouldn't want to leave the guests hungry, now would you?"

I nearly cursed as I turned my back to him and tried to focus on the recipes.

**EPOV:**

I figured I was getting to her. She didn't say much after our whip cream fight but she wasn't frowning either, which to me, was an accomplishment. She actually laughed at a joke I made as she cooked the meals for the guests.

"And then she fell," I finished, telling her a story of when Rosalie tried to become a runway model. Bella began to laugh as she put the lobsters into the pan. Her laugh was something I could listen to forever. I realized that I would have to get her to laugh more often. When she did, it lit up her entire face, making her even more beautiful.

"I can't see her doing that," she said after a moment, "She seems so graceful."

"Well, she did," I laughed and handed her another lobster. She grabbed it and our fingers brushed for a brief moment. I saw her cheeks redden as she turned away from me, trying to clear the awkwardness.

"Alright you two, you can go get ready," Alice said as she entered the kitchen. "I'll have the caterers do the rest."

"Okay," Bella said before she disappeared through the door Alice had just come in. I sighed and dropped the lobster I had been holding onto a plate and followed her. Before I made it out of the kitchen, Alice grabbed my elbow to stop me.

"Just wait until later," she offered before she smiled and left me alone.

I guess I had to wait until later. Whatever that meant.

**-**

I honestly don't know when the next update will be. I haven't written it but when I get an idea, I tend to stick with it and write until I'm completely finished. Anywho, can't stay and chat. Anyone see Avatar yet? Awesome movie! Alright, that's it! I really do have to go. Please review and leave your comments/questions/thoughts/the works. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed!

With love :)


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